Cuba Tour Meeting Requirements

Can anyone recommend a tour company that meets requirements to get off the ship without booking RC excursion? They only have 14 listed and several of those are cabaret shows.

Are there any tour companies that will take you to a beach for the day?

Also interested in classic car tour.

We have two full days and one night there.

For the car tour, I'd recommend Tours by Blexie. We had a fabulous experience with George, who works with Tours by Blexie. Blexie had given us a suggested itinerary which we customized and George did a great job making sure we saw it all. He was a real pleasure to spend the day with. He speaks fabulous English, is well versed in history and all of the sites in Havana and made us feel totally at ease asking questions about life in Cuba. And these are Cuban citizens, not affiliated with the government, perfectly in line with Supporting the Cuban People. I can't recommend them highly enough!

blexie100588@gmail.com

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Following. Looking for tour that includes beach time near Havana.

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Another vote for Blexie. Roly was our tour guide and we had the most amazing day with him!

We are booked with Blexie for next week. He meets requirements.

Not sure beach allowed. Wasn’t when we were in Cuba before.

Blexie is booked.

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Havanacars was very responsive...

Before you go, decide if you want a convertible or non, or doesn't matter.

i imagine any tour guide will be glad to sit around at the beach if that is really what you want to do with such a short stay in Havana and such a fascinating city to see.

We have had a great Vinales tour in a classic hardtop car with Alain from Havanacar.net.

You can contact them through their website or by email (havanacarcuba@gmail.com).

They also offer Havana city tours in classic convertible as well as walking tours but we have not used them in Havana as we had already booked our City tour from the cruiseline.

If you are staying 2 days in Havana I'll definitely suggest a trip to Vinales. It was an amazing experience.

Can anyone recommend a tour company that meets requirements to get off the ship without booking RC excursion? They only have 14 listed and several of those are cabaret shows.

 

Are there any tour companies that will take you to a beach for the day?

 

Also interested in classic car tour.

 

We have two full days and one night there.

Stefano was the greatest! We did not book until 2 days beforehand, but he was really on the ball, answered my emails almost immediately, and set us up for the tour with no problems! Our driver and guide were waiting at the cruise terminal at the assigned time, holding a sign with our names on it. They were wonderful! Took us to all the places we wanted to see, then to a few more. We had Mojitos in the park, shopped in a market, and saw a lot of the embassies. Very fun and educational trip! Thanks, Havanacar.net !

This is who I used - did the Full Day Havana one, and highly recommend it.

Agree that beach time would be a waste - so much to see and do in Havana!

http://havanatourcompany.com/

Lying out on a beach is not considered a "people-to-people" exchange or "support for Cuban people", so is not allowed according to the OFAC rules.

I agree with those above: don't waste your time on a beach in Cuba when there is so much to see and do. It's a fascinating country and the contact we had with the people was so enriching. For a beach, go to another Caribbean country (or Florida). ;)

Following. Looking for tour that includes beach time near Havana.

 

 

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The water in/around Havana is polluted, there are some local beaches on the very outskirts of Havana, but the beach Varadero which is gorgeous is a couple hour drive outside of Havana

Following. Looking for tour that includes beach time near Havana.

 

 

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The beaches around havana are not a good option. When you pull up in the ship, you will see why. The water is very dirty and polluted with oil. The water around the city is very rocky. Unless you travel 2 hours to the other side of the island, stick with the city. There's plenty to see in two days

Hi SuzCruise,

We have made arrangements with Blexie for our stop in Feb, but RC told us that are only option was to go on one of their excursions because of when we booked (after June 16, 2017). Everything else I read indicates we can still go on Blexie's tour if we select option 2 on the travel to Cuba form. Do you know that to be the case? Thanks for any insight!

We booked after and used Blexie. We checked “ supporting Cuban peope” and also what Oceania suggested, oeople-to-people.

Blexie tour was great and complaint. Ifonically, ship tours arenot.

Hi SuzCruise,

 

We have made arrangements with Blexie for our stop in Feb, but RC told us that are only option was to go on one of their excursions because of when we booked (after June 16, 2017). Everything else I read indicates we can still go on Blexie's tour if we select option 2 on the travel to Cuba form. Do you know that to be the case? Thanks for any insight!

I'm not sure what the language of your form is, but I'm sure that under the law, RC is incorrect, you are able to do a tour with a private guide. The reason for travel or general license for travel selected needs to be Support of the Cuban People, not people to people. People to people is for group travel only now, and very specific provisions apply to that group travel as well. But a tour with Blexie complies with the US Regulations under Support the Cuban People. I booked after 6/16 as well. I'm pasting the applicable language from the Code of Federal Regulations as well as an example of permissible travel from the Treasury Department's website for your use in your communications with RC.

§ 515.574Support for the Cuban People.

(a) General license. The travel-related transactions set forth in § 515.560© and other transactions that are intended to provide support for the Cuban people are authorized, provided that:

(1) The activities are of:

(i) Recognized human rights organizations;

(ii) Independent organizations designed to promote a rapid, peaceful transition to democracy; or

(iii) Individuals and non-governmental organizations that promote independent activity intended to strengthen civil society in Cuba; and

(2) The traveler's schedule of activities does not include free time or recreation in excess of that consistent with a full-time schedule.

Note to § 515.574(a):

Each person relying on the general authorization in this paragraph must retain specific records related to the authorized travel transactions. See §§ 501.601 and 501.602 of this chapter for applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements.

Example 1 to § 515.574: An individual plans to travel to Cuba, stay in a room at a rented accommodation in a private Cuban residence (casa particular), eat at privately-owned Cuban restaurants (paladares), and shop at privately-owned stores run by self-employed Cubans (cuentapropista) during his or her four-day trip. While at the casa particular, the individual will have breakfast each morning with the Cuban host and engage with the Cuban host to learn about Cuban culture. In addition, the traveler will complete his or her full-time schedule by supporting Cuban entrepreneurs launching their privately-owned businesses. The traveler’s activities promote independent activity intended to strengthen civil society in Cuba. Because the individual’s qualifying activities are not limited to staying in a room at a rented accommodation in a private Cuban residence (casa particular), eating at privately-owned Cuban restaurants (paladares), and shopping at privately owned stores run by self-employed Cubans (cuentapropista) and the traveler maintains a full-time schedule that enhances contact with the Cuban people, supports civil society in Cuba, and promotes the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities, and that results in meaningful interaction between the traveler and Cuban individuals, the individual’s travel qualifies for the general license.

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Would someone mind sharing about what they paid for the tour with Blexie? Thanks!

$130 for 4 of us for 6 hours for classic car, guide and driver.

Amazing day with Isbel.

Hi, 3 of us are going on RCL in May to Havana, overnight. do we have to do an excursion each day?

Hi, 3 of us are going on RCL in May to Havana, overnight. do we have to do an excursion each day?

Do you mean an organized ship tour or private tour? If so, the answer is No. DIY touring is very easy in Cuba and allows you to meet the very friendly Cubans. We just got off the ship and walked all over Old Havana. We stopped in many shops, cafes, museums, churches and eventually hired a classic car to drive us on a 1 hr tour. He even took us back to the ship at the end. Enjoy!!

I was there in May of last year before the new restrictions when it was somewhat possible to do your own thing,however under the new restrictions I'm asking if a tour is needed each day.

I was there in May of last year before the new restrictions when it was somewhat possible to do your own thing,however under the new restrictions I'm asking if a tour is needed each day.

I was just there last month....December, 2017.

We were there last month on Viking Oceans. They had arranged a company to do tours, didn't charge extra for them, and most of us took them. However, we were not told of any restrictions if we simply got off the ship and did what we wanted to do. People appeared to be free to do what they wanted.